Another Em Update

Friday, June 24, 2016

It feels like it's been ages since I've done an Em update. Since I quit blogging full time a couple months ago, everything has been go, go, go, in our house. We recently got Em setup with a local program through the public school system called, Babies Can't Wait. It's a program for 0-3-year-olds where they can receive free or low cost physical, speech, and occupational therapy at home. I had her initial meeting a few weeks ago and that was honestly really hard. I basically had to sit there in front of a social worker for an hour telling her all the things Em can and can't do and then have her basically tell me that had I been a more involved parent, Em would be a lot further developmentally then she currently is.

I obviously wanted to tell this social worker that she had no idea what she was talking about, and that she should go take a hike, but instead I just bit the inside of my cheek until I could make it out of the office and then sob all the way home. People are so rude.

The next step in that process is for their actual therapists (the ones who have actual degrees and know what they're talking about when it comes to development in special needs children), to come to our house and do an evaluation on Em so that they can see where she is at with everything and what kind of therapy she will actually need, how often, etc...

We are actually going to keep going to our same physical therapist through Children's Healthcare of Atlanta since we've been going to her for an entire year now and we have an established relationship with her that we're not willing to give up. We actually had our one year reevaluation at physical therapy last week, and it was really amazing to see how far Em has come in a year. When we started PT last June Em was 10 months old and could barely roll over. Now she's rolling, belly crawling, standing for minutes at a time with her leg braces, she can tripod sit when she has the desire to do so, she can get around in her wheelchair (although she doesn't really like using it anymore now that she can belly crawl), it's just been amazing to see such big changes in her over the last year.

The results of the evaluation were that for sitting and crawling, Em is at about an 8-10 month capacity. The crazy thing is, with standing, she's at an 11 month capacity. Our therapist told me that once Em figures out how to crawl on hands and knees, she will probably start walking about a month after that. She thinks from now until walking is only about 6 months away. Our therapist did say that Em's hips were "displaced" and that we would spend the next year really working on getting them rotated forward more like the should be, and that should really help her sit, stand, and walk better.

Intellectually, Em has been doing a lot of amazing things the last few weeks. She knows what sound a lion makes, she can point to her eyes, ears, chin, nose, belly, and toes when you ask where they are. She can say about 20 words. She can hold a crayon and scribble on paper. she can comb her hair, and she can wipe her mouth (and bum).

I constantly remember back to two years ago when no one would have ever promised me a little girl who could do any of these things, and yet she is here and defying her own odds everyday. I feel so blessed to be able to watch her grow and write her own story.

2 comments

Paige you are doing better than you know. Boo! Hiss! and rotten tomatoes to all the people who have never lived with a special needs child have never dealt with all the stress, sleep deprivation, doctors, therapists, melt downs, financial burdens and all the other multitude of challenges in life and then want to point fingers at those who try our very best and still come up short in their eyes. I have lived your leaving the school crying experience more times then I care to recount and I am a VERY GOOD MOM. There is always more I can be doing for my child but I try hard to hold on to the good feelings when someone (like your PT) tells you how much progress your child is making ---with your help and support---. You are doing just fine. You are a great mom, your children are happy, well cared for, loved and that counts a lot.Love from NC!!

I'm glad I'm not the only mom who had that initial evaluation and had to bite her cheeks! I even gave them a horrible review when I was sent a survey.Obviously we're all doing the best we can!We know our kids better than they do- so don't put us down, just help us with things.